Nollywood, Movie Industry Stakeholders Commends NCC

Featured

Stakeholders in the Movie Industry recently applauded the policies of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and its proactive efforts against piracy.The commendation is in reaction to the Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Mr. Afam Ezekude's speech at the inauguration of the Lagos Zone of the Directors' Guild of Nigeria (DGN), in Lagos on August 4, 2016. In response, the stakeholders took turns to appreciate the proactive efforts of the Commission under the watch of the present DG.

Meanwhile the Director-General, NCC speaking at the event, called on Stakeholders in the Music and Movie industry to key-into the Audio Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS). The government approved Collective Management Organisation for the film industry.Mr. Ezekude, noted that in the last decades, the Nigerian Film Industry has contributed immensely to the image-project and socio-economic development of Nigeria, by exposing its vibrant cultures to the world.

He said as part efforts to ensure that creators and investor reap favourably form the works and investment, the Commission is committed to its policy of strengthening copyright industries by making necessary regulatory interventions and introducing schemes to support rights management initiatives of authors and copyright owners."We encourage all stakeholders in the industry to be part AVRS to make it a strong and virile organisation which can aggregate and represent the collective interest of the entire industry" he stressed.

He however noted that for an adequate optimization of the gains of copyright system, there is need for a strong synergy between right owners, investors in the creative ventures and public institutions.While commending the stakeholders for supporting the Commission's anti-piracy campaigns which he emphasis has been yielding positive results, the DG said "from January 2011 to April 2016, the Commission carried out 257 anti-piracy operations at various locations in the country resulting in the removal of Seven Million, Nine Hundred and Thirteen Thousand, Five Hundred and Five (7, 913, 505) units of various pirated products valued at over Eight Billion and One Million Naira (N8,100, 000), with Five Hundred and Seventy-Six (576) suspected pirates apprehended".

"The enforcement action was backed up with vigorous prosecution resulting in conviction of 54 copyright pirates at different Federal Court Jurisdiction in Nigeria, while 172 cases are at various stages of trail. The Commission also secured significant success in its port monitoring scheme, which culminated in the interception of 25 Containers of assorted pirated foreign and Nigerian works."Mr Ezekude, stated that the Commission has also carried out public destruction of Seven Hundred and Forty-Nine Million, Three Hundred and Sixteen Thousand, One Hundred and Eighty-Seven (749, 316, 187) units of seized pirated copyright works and contrivances estimated at Ten Billion, Three Hundred Million Naira (N10, 300, 000, 000) across the nation, especially in Lagos, Kaduna and Enugu States and its environs" all these, the DG noted "has engendered a favourable perception of Nigeria in the global fight against copyright piracy.

He also disclosed that the Commission has launched its new Copyright e-Registration Plat form to upscale the existing data collection initiative of the Commission, provide more efficient service and facilitate documentation of copyright works of qualified persons from any part of the world. While commending practitioners to engage the platform, which can be accessed via the portal: www-eregistration.copyright.gov.ng, he said the platform also provides facility for search and feedback.

The DG reassured that the Commission remains commit supporting them with policies and programmes that will create a conducive environment for creativity to thrive and make investment in the creative industries profitable.A high ranking member of the DGN, Mrs. Ijeoma Richards in an appreciation message sent to the DG after the event stated thus: "I have just read through your speech and want to commend you for all your Organisation is doing, especially knowing that that it wasn't always so".